I'm currently reading Ali Cooper's The Girl on the Swing and noticed, to my surprise, that it has a middle-aged female protangonist. There shouldn't have been any reason for this to be surprising, but I can't actually remember the last time I read a book with a female lead who was over the age of 40.
Looking back over the last 50 novels and novellas I read, I get the following breakdown of the age and gender of the protagonists:
Girl - 2
Boy - 5
Younger woman - 6
Younger man - 22
Older man - 6
Older woman - 0
Ensemble - 2
Animal - 3
Other - 2
Man, various stages of the character's life - 1
Woman, various stages of the character's life - 1
Older women are almost invisible in the pages of fiction it seems. While this problem has been well-documented in the movies, I don't think it's often pointed out for books and I'd say it's an issue that needs to be addressed. It's certainly not just my own reading habits. A glance at any bestsellers list will confirm that.
So when did I last read a book with a middle-aged female protagonist? I honestly don't know. The Bridge of San Luis Rey, which I read earlier this year has some older female leads, but no single protagonist, and The Poisonwood Bible, which I read around two years ago, has an older woman as one of the five leads. But a whole book about an older woman? I suspect it was around five years ago or more, when I last read one of the Discworld witches book.
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is on my to-read list, but I'm keen to hear any recommendations.
Basset by Stella Gibbons has a spinster heroine, Miss Baker, who is 37, which was older in the 1930s than it is now. There is another thread to the novel with younger protagonists, but Miss Baker's story is the more interesting.
ReplyDeleteI also like The Bachelor by Stella Gibbons, which has a mddle-aged male hero, Kenneth. It's a shame she is only remembered for Cold Comfort Farm, as her books are absorbing and well worth a read.
Thanks for the recommendations. I've read Cold Comfort Farm but nothing else by Stella Gibbons so would be interested to give them a try.
ReplyDeleteGlad I don't live in the 1930s! Imagine being old at 37!